He was born with deformed front legs that bend permanently inward. He had his first corrective surgery at Tufts University at the beginning of April. His Facebook friends from all over the world have been cheering him toward recovery.

According to Little Bear’s dedicated owner, Allie O’Sullivan, so far things are going well for her tenacious, playful cat.

“He had surgery on his right arm, and hasn’t been putting much weight on it,” O’Sullivan writes on Facebook. “He has to wear a cone because they don’t want him biting his skin or the cast.”

The main downside? Little Bear misses playtime with his feline and canine siblings. But O’Sullivan has found other ways to keep him entertained while he heals.

“He is his happy self, but he misses being able to chase Boots and Smoochie and run up to Luna,” O’Sullivan writes. “He loves playing with his new laser toy. He actually uses his cast to swat at it. He is mainly restricted, sitting in a large cage or a play pen. He’s getting better every day, though.”

In a few months, Little Bear will have surgery to repair his left leg, with the ultimate goal to increase his mobility, reduce pain, take weight off his chest and heart, and extend his lifespan.